Assumptions become plans. Plans become liabilities—unless they’re tested early. Most leadership risk enters the business quietly—through a confident “yes” that becomes budget, headcount, and timeline. Self-awareness matters because it determines how accurate that “yes” really is. Evidence suggests that poor-performing businesses have 20% more leaders with blind spots than high-performing businesses. Leaders don’t just make decisions; they make forecasts about capacity, tradeoffs, and downstream impact. When that forecast is off, the organization doesn’t simply “miss a goal”—it institutionalizes the wrong assumptions and pays to unwind them later. The fastest way to raise self-awareness isn’t collecting more opinions. It’s learning how to separate useful feedback from noise—before the noise becomes policy. Why self-awareness matters in leadership To know yourself means seeing yourself objectively, being aware of similarities and differences with others, and understanding the perspectives from which you see others and the world. "To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." Socrates Leadership is a relationship, and it is vital to know what others think. If you only consider your perspective, you have an incomplete picture. Like trying to navigate a ship on the open seas without a sextant or GPS, lacking self-awareness limits a leader’s ability to realize professional and personal goals. Self-aware leaders are not naive about their habits and can develop better ones. The importance of self-awareness is not new. However, a recent study of 486 companies demonstrated that the most self-aware leaders populate the best organizations. Poor-performing businesses had 20% more leaders with blind spots than high-performing businesses. Additional studies have linked greater self-awareness with: improved leadership relationships self-control better decision-making life satisfaction In today's increasingly complex and culturally diverse workplace, leaders who accurately perceive, assess, and regulate their own and others' emotions can  better leverage diversity and foster team cohesion. Evidence also suggests that leaders with low self-awareness are more likely to struggle to regulate their emotions and behaviors effectively, contributing to poor physical health, work performance, and social interactions. The difference between useful and useless feedback The difference between useful and useless feedback is its reliability, validity, and fairness. Key 1: Feedback Reliability Reliable feedback has a high probability that the same actions lead to the same feedback in the future. When feedback lacks reliability, it creates confusion and can slow your development. Reliability is important because it helps reveal key themes for improvement. Reliability helps you focus, especially when using structured feedback tools like 360 surveys that increase the amount of feedback you receive. It may be tempting to try to put development plans in place for every piece of feedback, but you will see the most growth in building better habits when you pick one small change and then gradually improve. Key 2: Feedback Validity Feedback based on a deep understanding is most valid. Validity relates to the extent to which the feedback takes into consideration the subject matter expertise of the topic, your situation, and the context. The validity of the feedback is crucial because it directly affects the quality of any insights or conclusions that you can draw. When you use feedback that is inaccurate or incomplete, the conclusions you make will be unreliable and potentially misleading. Poor validity can lead to faulty decision-making , inaccurate predictions, and, ultimately, wasted time and resources. Key 3: Feedback Fairness Feedback bias happens when personal experiences shape the feedback. We all have bias, and likewise, all forms of feedback have some degree of bias. The greater the bias, the less useful and fair the feedback. I like asking my mom for feedback, but I must realize that she has a vested interest in being my mom. Likewise, the higher you ascend within your organization, the more challenging it becomes to receive fair feedback. When you receive feedback, it is important to test it for reliability, validity, and fairness. Ask yourself: How consistent and dependable is the feedback? How logical is the feedback and factually informed is the source of the feedback? How impartial and free from bias is the feedback? Rather than responding with a yes or no, score each question using a scale of one to ten. A rating of one is not at all, and ten is to a great extent. To become more self-aware, it is best to get curious, embrace the variability of feedback as a path to improvement, take the valuable parts of the feedback, and disregard the rest. “Look outside, and you will see yourself. Look inside, and you will find yourself.” Drew Gerald Discover Your Leadership Habits “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal.” Paolo Coelho The greatest threat to your career and business success is the routine practices performed automatically in daily life. My hypothesis is that leadership habits are life-changing. It is easy to get the need for better habits in theory, but in practice, one still falls into unintentional patterns and accidental habits. We don’t set out to develop bad habits. We don’t need to just want it more. While you may be aware of some leadership habits, there are likely others that you are completely unaware of - those accidental habits that go unnoticed but significantly impact your leadership effectiveness . Part of the answer is greater awareness of proven principles. That is why I wrote Life-Changing Leadership Habits: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit, and Purpose. If you want access to the latest research and practical tools to help you get better every day, pick up your ebook or print copy on Amazon or anywhere you buy books. To help you uncover these life-changing leadership habits, I've created the leadership accidental habit assessment (AHA). By taking this free survey, you'll gain valuable insights into your leadership and identify areas for improvement. Take the assessment now and start your journey to becoming a more effective and self-aware leader. Self-awareness is a decision asset. The question isn’t whether you get feedback; it’s whether the feedback you rely on is credible enough to change what you commit to, how you lead, and what the organization funds. When leaders raise the quality of their self-forecast, the enterprise makes fewer promises it can’t keep—and spends less time correcting avoidable drift. What is your real self-awareness challenge? References Bratton, V., Dodd, N., & Brown, F. (2011). The impact of emotional intelligence on the accuracy of self-awareness and leadership performance. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 32(2), 127-149. Brickhouse, Thomas C.; Smith, Nicholas D. (1994). Plato's Socrates. Oxford University Press. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-Changing Leadership Habits: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit and Purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Goldstein, G., Allen, D. N., & Deluca, J. (2019). Handbook of psychological assessment. Elsevier Science & Technology. Oltmanns, T., Gleason, M., Klonsky, E., & Turkheimer, E. (2005). Meta-perception for pathological personality traits: Do we know when others think that we are difficult? Consciousness and Cognition, 14(4), 739-751. Pekaar, K., Bakker, A. B., van der Linden, D., & Born, M. (2018). Self- and other-focused emotional intelligence: Development and validation of the Rotterdam emotional intelligence scale (REIS). Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 222-233. Wilson, T., & Gilbert, D. (2005). Affective forecasting: Knowing what to want. Current Directions in Psychological Science: A Journal of the American Psychological Society, 14(3), 131-134. Zes, D., & Landis, D. (2013). A better return on self-awareness. Korn Ferry Institute .

Where leadership impact becomes measurable through governance design, not leader personality. Most organizations overestimate what leaders control and underestimate what leadership shapes. That distinction matters. It drives how you invest, how you evaluate performance, and how quickly you scapegoat or canonize leaders at the top. Leadership attribution errors are real in every organization: When a team makes a championship run, we credit the coach; when the season collapses, we take to social media to remove the coach, often as if there were no other contributing factors. But skepticism about leadership can swing too far in the other direction, toward dismissal. Leadership rarely “causes” outcomes in a simple, linear way. In many environments, results are largely produced by follower capability, local decisions, and operating conditions. What leadership reliably does is shape the conditions under which people make decisions, allocate effort, take risks, collaborate, and sustain trust, especially under pressure. So the real question isn’t whether leadership matters. It’s when it matters, how it shows up in measurable operating outcomes, and what that implies for your next leadership investment. Below are five enterprise-relevant pathways where leadership consistently changes results—and what to watch for in your business. Leadership Impact # 1: Business Performance Good leadership can create a win out of a weak plan, but ineffective leadership can destroy a business with a great strategic plan . Leadership effectiveness moderates company performance. According to Jim Collins in his book Good to Great, a review of 1,435 companies studied over more than forty years revealed that leadership effectiveness accounted for up to 6.9 times greater financial returns than market averages. In a separate study of over 2,000 firms and leaders, effective leadership accounted for a 38% increase in an organization's overall business performance. This same study then examined the leadership effectiveness scores of the top and bottom-performing 10% of companies. The results revealed that leadership effectiveness was at the 80th percentile in the top-performing companies. Leadership effectiveness was at the 30th percentile in the lowest-performing companies, lower than 70% of the norm leadership effectiveness scores. Personal experience: Working with a large Forbes Top 25 Private Company, we set out to quantify the value of executive leadership. We used internal key business metrics and various cognitive and behavioral leader assessments. A large controlled study involving leaders across different markets revealed a positive correlation between the leader's effectiveness and employee retention, sales, margin, labor costs, and net profit. Leadership Impact # 2: Follower Performance Several studies investigate the connection between the leader and the follower's performance . The evidence is consistent that leadership moderates follower performance. In a survey of 100 executives and middle management leaders in manufacturing and service organizations, effective leadership improved follower performance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Also, effective leadership is shown to significantly impact follower discretionary effort, known as organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). This is when employees voluntarily go beyond what is expected of them to benefit the organization. A study of 815 employees and 123 leaders found that effective leadership increased OCB and workplace climate. Leadership Impact # 3: Innovation Fostering innovation within an organization is an increasingly important leadership behavior. No organization is looking to stay the same year over year. Innovation drives top-line revenues, creating a competitive advantage in today's volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous marketplace. Evidence suggests that leadership is essential for driving innovation. A study involving over 400 executives from 48 companies connected effective organizational strategy and innovation performance with leadership habits. Leadership Impact # 4: Trust and Organizational Change Trust is the currency of business relationships, and an absence of trust can bankrupt the organization  and its employees. At an individual level, a lack of trust contributes to feelings of: Frustration Rejection Stress Anxiety Depression Leadership trust is directly connected to employee retention, organizational commitment, and support for organizational change . Unfortunately, trust in leadership is becoming rarer. Trust is given based on leadership competence and ethical behaviors. In their book The Leadership Challenge, authors Kouzes and Posner suggested that "credibility" is the foundation of effective leadership because employees must be able to trust their leaders. Numerous studies demonstrate that leadership is critical to successful organizations and change. Whether a change is department-specific or company-wide, it benefits from executive engagement. Executive leadership teams provide vision, establish strategy, prepare the corporate culture for change, and motivate employees to change. This is important because trust has been shown to mediate employee openness to change and, ultimately, the outcome of change. When trust is present, organizations navigate and manage change  with improved results. Change events heighten emotional responses, making communicating effectively challenging for the most skilled leaders. Leadership Impact # 5: Communication & Relationships Leadership is a conversation. Like air, the words leaders speak can give life to a business. But words can also constrain and limit realities for individual employees, teams, and organizations. Leadership communication cultivates quality leader-follower and employee-organization relationships. In a study of 400 employees working in various companies with an average company tenure of 10 years, influential leaders increased: Two-way communication Creativity Collaboration Job attitudes Organizational commitment Bottom line: leadership is not the sole driver of results—but it is a consistent amplifier or suppressor of performance. It shows up most clearly where the enterprise is under strain: execution discipline, discretionary effort, innovation throughput, trust during change, and the quality of day-to-day communication that determines whether work actually moves. If you’re evaluating a leadership development investment, don’t start with programs or competencies. Start with outcomes and conditions: What business metrics are most sensitive to leader behavior in your system? Where is trust fragile? Where is innovation blocked? Where does communication break under pressure?  The best leadership investments are the ones tied to measurable shifts in these operating realities—not to inspirational intent. Great leaders don’t just produce better results. They build conditions that enable repeatable results—across teams, markets, and time. If you’re making—or funding—leadership investments this year, schedule a confidential Leadership Strategy Conversation. We can help you map where leadership is actually moderating business outcomes in your system, identify where attribution is masking structural failure, and define the few changes that would move performance without relying on heroics. Key Points Effective leadership makes a difference in the personal and professional results you achieve and the life you live. Leadership effectiveness improves the bottom line. Effective leadership improves follower performance and promotes higher business levels, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Senior leadership is essential for driving innovation. Senior leadership trust is directly connected to employee retention, organizational commitment, and support for organizational change. Influential leaders increase two-way communication, creativity, collaboration, job attitudes, and organizational commitment. Great leaders achieve great results and create great company cultures . References: Anderson, R., & Adams, W. (2016). Mastering leadership: An integrated framework for breakthrough performance and extraordinary business results. Wiley. Day, D., & Lord, R. (1988). Executive leadership and organizational performance: Suggestions for a new theory and methodology. Journal of Management, 14(3), 453-464. Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap--and others don't. HarperBusiness. Dhar, U., & Mishra, P. (2001). Leadership effectiveness: A study of constituent factors. Journal of Management Research, 1(4), 254. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose. Organizatonal Talent consulting. Eisenbeiss, S., van Knippenberg, D., & Boerner, S. (2008). Transformational leadership and team innovation: Integrating team climate principles. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(6), 1438-1446. Hackman, J. Richard, and Ruth Wageman. 2007. Asking the right questions about leadership: Discussion and conclusions. American Psychologist 62, no. 1: 43-47. Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (Sixth ed.). Jossey-Bass. Madanchian, M., Hussein, N., Noordin, F., & Taherdoost, H. (2017). Leadership effectiveness measurement and its effect on organization outcomes. Procedia Engineering. Volume 181, pp. 1043-1048. Men, L. (2014). Why leadership matters to internal communication: Linking transformational leadership, symmetrical communication, and employee outcomes. Journal of Public Relations Research, 26: 256–279. Walumbwa, F., Hartnell, C., & Oke, A. (2010). Servant leadership, procedural justice climate, service climate, employee attitudes, and organizational citizenship behavior: A cross-level investigation. Zhang, H., Ou, A., Tsui, A., & Wang, H. (2017). CEO humility, narcissism, and firm innovation: A paradox perspective on CEO traits. The Leadership Quarterly, 28(5), 585-604. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.01.003

Want to diagnose where speed is breaking down in your organization? Start a confidential leadership strategy conversation. Most leaders don’t avoid strategic work because they’re lazy or unaware; they avoid it because it forces visible decision-making amid uncertainty. In the moment, it feels slower than execution and more exposed. Under pressure, it’s safer to double down on what’s known than to wrestle with what needs to emerge. But markets don’t reward comfort. They penalize decision latency and different parts of the enterprise acting on different interpretations of reality. A recent global study found 90% of organizations are struggling to adapt quickly, and nearly half report poor coordination and ineffective strategic execution. That’s not a talent problem as much as a system problem: weak signal capture, unclear decision rights, or no rhythm for shared interpretation and direction. What makes this especially costly is the belief executives sometimes carry, quietly or openly admitting, I’m just not strategic.” Strategy isn’t a personality type. It’s a discipline shaped by practice, feedback, and the frames you use to interpret reality. Over time, you can build both proficiency and appetite for the work—not because it’s a fashionable executive-level trait, but because it’s how organizations anticipate and capitalize on trends instead of being managed by them. Challenges arising from the absence of an organizational strategy Research shows that only five percent of employees truly understand their company's strategy. When employees feel left out, they are less likely to support the company's goals, leading to disengagement and confusion about the company's direction. This lack of inclusion in strategic planning can lead to lower quality and creativity in the company's strategies and can contribute to a toxic culture that values certain groups or levels within the organization over others. Three studies conducted by Zenger Folkman found that a leader's strategic thinking is linked to career advancement. These studies, involving over 1300 leaders, found a significant correlation between executive leaders' promotions and their strategic thinking abilities. Leaders who lack strategic thinking skills may struggle to align themselves and influence others, making it challenging to achieve success in both personal and professional endeavors. Focusing solely on immediate tasks can lead to falling behind, especially in a highly competitive market. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” William Bennis 5 key strategic leadership competencies Leaders must be able to navigate complex scenarios and growing ambiguity. Critical thinking is essential for evaluating the core business factors and obstacles unique to a particular organization. It involves recognizing potential outcomes and having the foresight to guide both employees and the organization toward success. Strategic thinking is a crucial aspect of effective leadership, encompassing five key competencies that are often overlooked and not fully developed within organizational leadership: Scanning: This involves actively looking for subtle signals that may not seem significant at the moment but could have a profound impact on the business in the future. It requires a keen eye for detail and the ability to anticipate potential changes before they become apparent. Visioning: Clarifying the organization's shared purpose and aspirations is essential to building a cohesive, motivated team. Leaders must articulate a compelling vision that inspires others to work toward common goals, fostering unity and direction. Reframing: This competency involves challenging existing assumptions and encouraging fresh perspectives on future possibilities. By questioning conventional wisdom and embracing innovative ideas, leaders can unlock new opportunities and drive transformative change within the organization. Making sense: Engaging in a rigorous intellectual process of conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating data is critical for effective decision-making. Leaders must possess strong analytical skills to make sense of complex information and draw meaningful insights to inform strategic choices. Systems thinking: Adopting a holistic approach to understanding how different components within a system interact and influence outcomes is essential for effective leadership. By recognizing the interconnectedness of various elements, leaders can identify leverage points and design interventions that yield desired results while minimizing unintended consequences. The following video breaks down the often-confused difference between strategic planning and strategic thinking. Enhancing your strategic leadership proficiency and passion in 4 steps We often dread tasks because we lack proficiency. We feel slow or inefficient. The first three steps below outline practical ways to improve your strategic thinking proficiency. Leaders pressed for time don't like doing things that make them feel incompetent. Improving your proficiency will go a long way to increasing your passion for strategic leadership. Step 1: Listening. Start by assessing your strategic thinking proficiency and identifying areas for growth. Listen to yourself. Making sense requires critical thinking skills. Various psychometric leadership assessments can measure an executive's critical thinking capability. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is a valid leadership assessment that assesses an individual's ability to recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, and draw conclusions. For more information on the Watson-Glaser critical thinking appraisal, visit www.talentlens.com . Life was not meant to be done alone. Too often, busy leaders fail to pause and consider how to leverage others to develop new habits . Whenever trying to create a new leadership habit, you can benefit significantly from deliberate practice and coaching feedback. Partnering with a qualified executive coach is proven to improve strategic leadership. Step 2: Being far-sighted Failure to account for future environmental changes can hinder your organization's ability to respond quickly to shifting markets. Leaders do not have to gamble with the company's future or rely solely on reactionary planning. Future-ready leaders can avoid costly mistakes by envisioning what could be rather than constantly reacting at the last minute. Being far-sighted involves practices from  strategic foresight . Strategic foresight involves looking beyond current experiences and scanning the horizon. This helps leaders identify signs of emerging trends in the margins to prepare for the future. Strategic foresight is a way of thinking critically, engaging, discovering, and acting. Strategic foresight aims not to predict the future but to enable better decision-making and preparedness. It is a systemic view of change that considers the likely and possible realities. The use of predictive and prescriptive analytics promises improved strategic foresight . Step 3: Being inclusive. Leveraging multiple perspectives enhances strategic thinking , creativity, engagement, and strategy quality. Although achieving complete transparency and involving every possible stakeholder may be infeasible, it offers significant value for inclusive leaders and organizations. Before adopting an inclusive approach to strategic thinking, senior leadership should agree on the process, participating stakeholders, and the organization's business vision, values, and mission. A generic, inclusive strategic thinking process typically engages others in ideation, refinement, and development. Step 4: Reframing your MVP. Words shape worlds. Before starting something you know you don't like doing, it's important to attempt to reframe your MVP: Motivation. Is your motivation about checking a box? Or is your motivation about making a difference? Reasons for strategic leadership matter. It is less likely that your efforts will lead to positive change without a clear rationale. Vision. How do you see the result of strategic thinking going? Is it leading to the best of what might? Or is what you see a list of all the potential issues? When you anticipate a positive step in the journey, it provides a sense of purpose and direction to inspire your best and achieve success. Perspective. When the lens through which you view strategic thinking is off, your results will be poor. Is your paradigm for strategic thinking that it will provide the best foundation for a healthy culture for your team, lead to business growth, and enhance your effectiveness? Or is your paradigm that it is best to avoid strategic thinking because you need to manage your image, and things will change anyway? Strategic leadership won’t always feel natural. Some parts of it will remain effortful—and that’s normal because it requires choosing before certainty. The aim isn’t to force enthusiasm. It’s to remove the unnecessary friction caused by low proficiency, unclear processes, and a mindset that turns strategic work into self-protection rather than value creation. If you step back, the real question isn’t whether you like strategic thinking. It’s whether your organization is designed to recognize emergence early and respond coherently, or whether it will keep paying for comfort in the form of drift, rework, and slow, reversible trends. So what’s the real constraint in your strategic leadership right now—capability, cadence, inclusion, or the way you’re framing the work altogether? References: Amrollahi, A., & Rowlands, B. (2017). Collaborative open strategic planning: A method and case study. Information Technology & People (West Linn, Or.), 30(4), 832-852. Bartell, R. (2011). Before the call: The communication playbook. Hudson House. Bennis, W. G. (2008). Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. Journal of Property Management, 73 (5), 13. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-Changing Leadership: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit, and Purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Folkman, Z. (2021). Strategic thinking: The pathway to the top. Forbes. Hughes, R., Beatty, K., & Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Kaplan RS, Norton DP. The office of strategy management. Harv Bus Rev. 2005 Oct;83(10):72-80 Nwachukwu, C. E., Chladkova, H., & Olatunji, F. (2018). The relationship between employee commitment to strategy implementation and employee satisfaction. Trends Economics and Management , 12(31), 46-56.

Leaders set strategy to turn goals into reality—whether it's sustainability, faster speed to market, stronger leaders, or a clearer purpose. The strategic plan isn't where execution breaks down. It breaks after the offsite—when priorities collide—and decisions revert to hierarchy, politics, or local discretion. In most organizations, it isn’t a strategy problem. It’s a strategy-to-execution system problem. Only a small fraction of employees—often cited at around 5%—can explain their company strategy in a way that guides their performance. When a strategic plan is built in a tight circle and only communicated at a high level, the workforce lacks what execution requires: who makes which decisions, under what conditions, the decision criteria, and explicit trade-offs. Performance and commitment erode—not because people don’t care about the strategy, but because the organization can’t reliably tell them what “aligned” looks like when the real work gets complicated. An “inclusive strategy” can either reduce risk or amplify it. The difference lies in whether leaders design the decision system: who has input, who decides, what criteria govern choices, and how the enterprise resolves conflict without relitigating the strategy. If strategic execution is lacking and employees “aren’t committed,” the practical question isn’t whether being more inclusive matters. It’s whether you gave the organization a usable decision architecture—or only a plan. Benefits of Inclusive Strategic Thinking and Planning A strategy is simply a plan of action to achieve a stated goal. A business strategy aims to align followers and teams toward achieving a shared goal from the company's vision. The best strategies in business meet the following four criteria: Developed inclusive of followers, Focus on helping others for the greater good, Account for mixed future realities, Are implemented. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality” — William Bennis In this short video, Gary Hamel discusses why leaders must shift their roles from authors to editors and why traditional strategic planning must die. Leaders must comprehend various complex situations. Strategic thinking uses critical thinking to consider the fundamental business drivers and challenges specific to an organization. It is about awareness of what could be and the foresight to help the organization be successful. The following video breaks down the difference between strategic planning and strategic thinking. Leveraging diversity enhances strategic thinking, creativity, engagement, and strategy quality. Although achieving complete transparency and involving every possible stakeholder is likely not feasible, there is high value for inclusive leaders and organizations. Research has demonstrated a direct positive correlation between individual commitment to strategy and involvement in strategy development. Inclusive strategic thinking impacts the organization's bottom line, leading to a leader's success and significance. When leaders solicit ideas from outside the traditionally involved management team, it enhances the creativity of those ideas and reinforces that leaders value employees. Creative ideas that reflect the customer's stated and unstated needs are likely to come from those with no stake in the status quo and who are closest to the customer. Being transparent with access to strategic input and processes enhances follower outputs. When the employees responsible for implementing strategic plans are the same employees contributing to it, there is greater awareness of tradeoffs, decision criteria, engagement, and firm performance. 5 Key Leadership Strategic Thinking Leadership Competencies A leader's ability to question, connect ideas, and evaluate options improves strategic thinking. Here are five strategic thinking leadership competencies that are often underdeveloped: Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 1: Scanning When searching for weak signals, businesses are essentially delving into the realm of potential disruptions and opportunities that may not be readily apparent. These signals are often subtle, emerging trends or environmental changes that could significantly impact the future. By actively seeking out these weak signals, organizations can gain a competitive edge by being better prepared to adapt and respond to evolving market conditions. Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 2: Visioning Clarifying the organization's shared purpose and vision with group benefits is crucial to fostering a strong sense of unity and direction among team members. By clearly defining the common goals and aspirations everyone is working toward, individuals within the organization can align their efforts and collaborate toward a shared vision. This process not only fosters a sense of belonging and camaraderie but also enhances employee motivation and engagement. A culture of teamwork and cooperation can be cultivated by emphasizing the collective benefits of pursuing the organization's shared purpose and vision. Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 3: Reframing Encouraging a shift in perspective by questioning established beliefs and exploring innovative ideas for what lies ahead. Challenging current assumptions opens the door to new opportunities and unexpected solutions. Embracing fresh thinking allows us to break free from conventional boundaries and envision a future filled with exciting possibilities. It is through this process of reevaluation and creativity that we pave the way for progress and growth, sparking a journey toward a more dynamic and promising tomorrow. Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 4: Making Common Sense An intellectual process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating data. It involves a series of cognitive activities that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Conceptualizing is the ability to form abstract ideas or mental representations based on the information. Applying involves applying these concepts or using them in real-world situations to achieve a specific goal or outcome. Analyzing requires breaking down complex information into smaller parts to understand their meaning and significance. Synthesizing involves combining different elements or ideas to create a coherent whole or new understanding. Evaluating is assessing the data's validity, relevance, or quality and the conclusions drawn from it. Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 5: Systems Thinking This methodology involves considering the whole system rather than individual parts in isolation. By examining how different elements interact and influence one another, researchers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the underlying dynamics. A holistic approach encourages researchers to consider the broader context in which these interactions occur. Factors such as environmental influences, historical background, and cultural norms can all significantly shape outcomes. By incorporating these external elements into the analysis, a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the interrelationships between different parts can be achieved. Various psychometric leadership assessments can measure an executive's strategic and critical-thinking capabilities. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is a valid leadership assessment based on recognizing assumptions, evaluating arguments, and drawing conclusions. For more information on the Watson-Glaser critical thinking appraisal, visit www.talentlens.com. In addition to measurement, leaders looking to improve strategic thinking skills need time for deliberate practice and coaching feedback to shape strategic thinking habits beyond motivation and commitment. Partnering with a qualified executive coach is proven to improve strategic thinking skills. How to be Inclusive with Strategic Planning and Thinking Before taking an inclusive approach to strategic planning and thinking, senior leadership needs to agree on the process, participating stakeholders, and the organization's business vision, values, and mission. For larger hybrid organizations , it will likely be helpful to first place participants into groups based on their planned involvement, such as crowd, selected crowd, business leadership, and strategic planning decisions team. Finding a user-friendly system for all stakeholders is vital when choosing strategic planning technology. A generic, inclusive strategic planning process engages others in ideation, refinement, and development. Ideation. The first step is to listen . Stakeholders are invited to submit ideas using a planning platform. It is crucial to select a readily accessible technology and use multiple communication channels to encourage participation in the strategic planning process. Refinement. Ideas are tagged and compared through comparison sorts. Stakeholders are invited to prioritize the submitted ideas using pre-defined criteria such as cultural alignment, cost, quality, and timeliness. This phase also includes a checkpoint for leaders to request additional information and to accept, revise, or reject ideas. The use of scores makes it easier to filter ideas. Development. After collecting and refining the ideas, it is time to transform them into a strategic plan. Stakeholders across the business are asked to take the refined strategy and develop a detailed plan. A strategic plan typically includes a vision statement, mission statement, goals, objectives, tactics, measures, and a review timeframe. How to Overcome 3 Inclusive Strategic Planning and Thinking Barriers Advances in technology enable a more inclusive, timely, and less costly approach. However, an inclusive approach has some potential drawbacks to address rather than ignore, such as bias, agility, and communication effectiveness. Strategic Planning & Thinking Barrier # 1: Bias When being inclusive, leaders must avoid potential bias toward certain stakeholder groups. There is no need to go through the work of being inclusive only to have a process that devalues different inputs based on a tendency toward a particular group's feedback. Approaches that promote anonymity of feedback are demonstrated to reduce bias and not negatively impact output buy-in. Strategic Planning & Thinking Barrier # 2: Agility Leaders need to pay attention to time and effort when being inclusive. It is easy to be less agile and get caught in analysis paralysis when being inclusive. Solid project management processes can help leaders avoid the trap of over-analysis. Strategic Planning & Thinking Barrier # 3: Communication Effectiveness Thoughtful technology integration has many positive impacts, but it is not without challenges. Numerous studies have shown that  different communication media  effectively support in-the-moment feedback, information sharing, communication cues, emotion, and message customization. Scientific research likely does not need to be conducted to demonstrate that face-to-face communication is the most effective. If your strategy requires cross-functional behavior change, then commitment is not something you request—it’s something you engineer through clarity: decision rights, prioritization rules, transparency on tradeoffs, and consequences that match what is said. If you want to pressure-test whether your strategic process is producing real alignment—or merely expanding participation—start a confidential conversation focused on governance and execution design. Start a Leadership Strategy Conversation (confidential, peer-level): https://calendly.com/organizational-talent/leadership-strategy-conversation If what’s missing is the foundation—authority design, operating assumptions, role clarity, and execution expectations—begin with Leadership Reset  as the system baseline. Key Summary Points It is hard to argue that being more inclusive is a bad leadership habit. A business strategy aims to align followers and teams toward achieving a shared goal from the company's vision. The best strategies are developed inclusive of followers, focus on helping others for the greater good, account for mixed future realities, and are implemented. A leader's ability to question, connect ideas, and evaluate options improves strategic thinking. Making common sense requires critical thinking skills. Various psychometric leadership assessments can measure an executive's critical thinking capability. The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is a valid leadership assessment based on recognizing assumptions, evaluating arguments, and drawing conclusions. Leaders looking to improve their strategic thinking skills need time for deliberate practice and coaching feedback to shape strategic thinking habits beyond motivation and commitment. A generic, inclusive strategic planning process includes engaging others in creativity, refinement, and development. Advances in technology enable a more inclusive, timely, and less costly approach. However, an inclusive approach has some potential drawbacks that must be addressed rather than ignored, such as bias, agility, and communication effectiveness. References: Amrollahi, A., & Rowlands, B. (2017). Collaborative open strategic planning: A method and case study. Information Technology & People (West Linn, Or.), 30(4), 832-852. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-12-2015-0310 Bennis, W. G. (2008). Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. Journal of Property Management, 73 (5), 13. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 Proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. M., & Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Kaplan RS, Norton DP. The office of strategy management. Harv Bus Rev. 2005 Oct;83(10):72-80 Nwachukwu, C. E., Chladkova, H., & Olatunji, F. (2018). The relationship between employee commitment to strategy implementation and employee satisfaction. Trends Economics and Management, 12(31), 46-56. doi:10.13164/trends.2018.31.45

Years ago, I led an executive search for a top leadership position in a fast-paced, results-driven business. After the interviews, the hiring team complimented the candidate's strategic decision-making, innovative ideas, strong work habits, and organizational commitment . But, the CEO and hiring team expressed concerns about the candidate's lack of executive presence. These kinds of comments are not unusual. They were voicing that being intelligent and committed is not enough to be effective as a strategic leader. To advance your career, you need to be clear on the stated and unstated expectations of leaders. Here are the ten characteristics of executive presence, how to know if you are maximizing your executive presence, and three tips for developing an authentic executive presence. Why does executive presence matter? Like leadership, presence can be a difficult concept to define. There is limited peer-reviewed research on the topic and an obvious tension in the literature about whether executive presence is more than impression management. When asked to provide a meaningful description of executive presence, most employees say, "I will know it when I see it." When considering the concept of executive presence, comparing it with leadership power and influence can be helpful. Executive presence has formal and informal aspects, and it can be applied for good and bad purposes. Perception is not reality, but making an impression is inevitable. Executive presence is not inherent to who you are, but rather, it is a perception of others. Perceptions can be based on impressions formed during brief interactions like a passing hallway conversation and evaluations of actions based on many observations over time. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” Will Rogers Evidence suggests that 89% of leaders and managers believe executive presence helps you get ahead, and 78% think a weak presence holds you back. Also, executive presence was considered to impact leadership success directly. There is always an opportunity to make an excellent, not-so-great, or wrong impression. 10 Characteristics of Executive Presence The foundational attributes of executive presence are described as gravitas, communication, and appearance. Evidence suggests the following are ten key characteristics that contribute to your degree of executive presence: Reputation from current or previous roles and impressive accomplishments, awards, or networks with others perceived to be important. Nonverbal communication and physical appearance. Projected confidence, such as being calm and demonstrating self-control in high-pressure situations. Clear leadership communication, voice modulation when speaking, and speaking up to be heard. Interpersonal skills that engage others, such as being charming and friendly. Consistent interpersonal integrity. Behaving consistently with personal moral values. Intellect and expertise that results in excellent judgment and wisdom. Outcome-oriented, such as being results-driven, flexible, committed to following through, and delivering results through others. Using power to enforce compliance. How do you know if you are maximizing your executive presence? Like the rearview mirror on the passenger side of a car, it is dangerous not to realize that your perspective is somewhat affected by your point of view and that your brain is on autopilot. Consider how you would answer the following questions by thinking back over the past month using a scale of never, sometimes, or always: Do you state your purpose when you meet with others? Do you explain why your point of view is different and valuable? Do you listen to and connect with others? Are you aware of your body language and physical appearance? Do you bring energy to your discussions? Are you using phrases like "it's my position" instead of "I think?" Do others know your values, and do you walk the talk? Are you vulnerable and assertive during challenging conversations? Do you control your emotional responses when situations become tense? Do you look for opportunities to leverage and grow your network? If you would answer never or sometimes to any of these questions, you are likely missing opportunities to strengthen your executive presence. How to build an authentic executive presence You are not born with executive presence. And you don't have to fake it. Here are three tips for creating an authentic executive presence. Executive Presence Tip #1: Build Your Emotional Intelligence Your emotional intelligence is comprised of your degree of self-awareness, self-management, motivation, empathy, and interpersonal skills. Practice identifying, evaluating, and expressing your emotions. Also, work on recognizing and responding to the feelings of others. Executive Presence Tip #2: Get Feedback It is not uncommon to have hidden strengths and blind spots. Identify five people who know you well and would be comfortable giving you constructive feedback. Using the questions from above, ask them to rate how well you are doing. Working with an executive coach and using a 360-degree survey can help you overcome some common barriers to getting good feedback. Executive Presence Tip #3: Spend Time in Reflection Effective reflection involves doubting, pausing, and being curious about the ordinary. Use a journaling app like Day One to capture your thoughts, feelings, successes, and frustrations. This approach has been demonstrated to be incredibly impactful in improving new skills. For example, when building any habit, start small and tie it to an existing practice, like your routine, before leaving work for the day. Use the questions in this article to be the focal point of your reflection. Remember to take a balanced approach to both strengths and weaknesses. "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." Wayne Dyer Key Summary Points Executive presence can help you enhance and maximize your career success. Executive presence is not something inherent to who you are, but rather, it is a perception of others. It is not uncommon to have hidden strengths and blind spots relative to your executive presence characteristics. You are not born with executive presence. Emotional intelligence, feedback, and critical reflection are three tools to develop an authentic executive presence. What are your executive presence hidden strengths or blind spots? References Bates, S. (2016). All the leader you can be: The science of achieving extraordinary executive presence. McGraw-Hill. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Dagley, G., & Gaskin, C. (2014). Understanding executive presence: Perspectives of business professionals. Counseling Psychology Journal . 66(3). pp. 197-211. Shirey, M. (2013). Executive presence for strategic influence. The Journal of Nursing Administration. 43(7/8). Pp. 373-376.

Understanding Leadership Pressure Leadership creates pressure. In the Netflix series The Playbook , Doc Rivers shares the philosophy that inspired the Boston Celtics to a championship and his response to racism while coaching the Los Angeles Clippers. One valuable lesson he imparts is that "pressure is a privilege." What is the alternative to leadership pressure? No productive conflict? No aligned goals? No board meetings? No difficult customers? As an executive coach , I often speak with leaders. A common theme is the immense pressure they face. Leaders can quickly feel overwhelmed by the complex and fast-paced digital business environment. Stress is a serious issue for many in leadership roles. A recent global study of CEOs and C-suite executives found that 56% are burned out, up 52% from the previous year. Leading successful organizations creates personal and professional situations that heighten stress. It may seem logical to view pressure as a negative to be avoided, but should you? Here are three reasons to embrace the leadership journey, including the pressure it brings, along with four tips for making better decisions under pressure. "A soft, easy life is not worth living if it impairs the fiber of brain and heart and muscle. We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage." — Theodore Roosevelt Reason 1: Pressure Accelerates Change One reason to embrace pressure is that it accelerates change, and leadership is fundamentally about change. In the book Leading Change , renowned change management expert John Kotter emphasizes that overcoming complacency requires a sense of urgency. Leaders in a fast-changing world must articulate their vision while remaining open to necessary adjustments due to the world's turbulence. Leading change creates pressure and stressful situations. Research from UC Berkeley shows that while too little or too much stress can cause anxiety and health issues, a moderate amount of stress can enhance performance and health. Pressure drives leaders and organizations to explore new directions and reject the status quo. No organization wants to remain stagnant. Pressure serves as a powerful change agent for leaders eager to accelerate transformation. Reason 2: Pressure Creates Learning Leaders and organizations must learn at a pace that matches change. Continuous learning is essential because the future is unpredictable. You are either ripe and rotting or green and growing. But shouldn't the learning process be free from stress? A foundational study on learning found that an element of struggle significantly enhances long-term retention. While pressure may slow the learning rate temporarily, it ultimately improves retention and the transfer of knowledge. Pressure creates desirable difficulties, enhancing the opportunity for personal and professional growth . "Usually, if you have tremendous pressure, it’s because an opportunity comes along. Give me the ball. Give me the problem to solve. Let’s figure this out. Let’s go." — Billie Jean King Reason 3: Pressure Creates Purpose High-pressure situations reveal more about who you are than your specific skills. Often, it takes the pressure of a crisis to break away from the routine. Pressure challenges assumptions about our purpose or the organization's purpose. Living a life of purpose is unparalleled. Studies show that leading with purpose results in higher personal satisfaction, performance, innovation, and economic growth. "Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater." — Viktor Frankl How to Make Your Best Decision Under Pressure The way you approach decisions under pressure can significantly impact the outcomes for you and those you lead. Here are four tips to help you make your best decisions: Decision-Making Tip 1: Visualize the Desired Outcome Athletes often visualize themselves successfully achieving their goals before events. Numerous studies link creative visualization to improved performance, goal achievement, and stress management. Research supports that creative practice boosts our confidence and competence. Check out this short video from an Olympic athlete on the power of mental imagery. Decision-Making Tip 2: Be Curious Asking questions can reveal alternative scenarios. The field of strategic foresight offers tools that help leaders see around corners, leading to greater confidence and competence in decision-making. Tools like the Futures Wheel, STEEPLE, and scenario planning can help leaders and organizations break free from a fixed mindset. Decision-Making Tip 3: Don't Get Stuck on Stupid One of my favorite leadership quotes comes from a military commander who served after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The community was paralyzed and lacked direction. In an interview, the commander stated he didn't know what specific time frames looked like but could guarantee that recovery operations would not be "stuck on stupid." Leaders who are action-oriented and make decisions for the right reasons can overcome the fear of failure that often accompanies pressure. Decision-Making Tip 4: Avoid Isolation Many leaders report that their organizations do not provide the support needed to manage increasing stress levels. A leadership coach facilitates experimentation and self-discovery by applying insights from coaching conversations. Skillful executive coaching enables you to "dance in the present moment" and take necessary actions aligned with your values. Modern organizations resemble pressure cookers. Effective leadership acts as a pressure control valve, releasing pressure to prevent catastrophic failures while increasing it when necessary to maximize performance. The reality of a volatile work environment, leadership pressure isn’t something to escape—it’s something to understand and manage well. The leaders who thrive over time don’t carry the pressure alone or ignore it; they create space to think clearly, test assumptions, and decide with intention rather than reaction. In a volatile environment, clarity becomes a competitive advantage. Where might you be experiencing leadership pressure right now—and what decisions would benefit from slowing down long enough to think clearly? References: Bjork, E. L., & Bjork, R. A. (2011). Making things hard on yourself, but in a good way: Creating desirable difficulties to enhance learning. Campbell, M., Baltes, J.I., Martin, A., & Meddings, K. (2019). The stress of leadership. Center for Creative Leadership. DDI. 2023 Global Leadership Forecast. Development Dimensions International. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-Changing Leadership Habits: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit, and Purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Ekeocha, T. (2015). The effects of visualization and guided imagery in sports performance. Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change . Harvard Business Review Press. Ottesen, K. (2019). Tennis icon Billie Jean King on fighting for equal pay for women: Pressure is a privilege. The Washington Post. Pomerantz (Eds.) & FABBS Foundation, Psychology and the real world: Essays illustrating fundamental contributions to society (p. 56–64). Worth Publishers. Powell, A. (2018). When science meets mindfulness. The Harvard Gazette. Quinn, R. E., & Thakor, A. V. (2019). The economics of higher purpose: Eight counterintuitive steps for creating a purpose-driven organization . Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated. Sanders, R. (2013). Researchers find out why some stress is good for you. Berkley News.

Each of us has two games at play as we go about our days: an inner game and an outer game. As a leader, whether it's how you manage the organizations operating budget, establish the agenda for a one-to-one coaching session, or make decisions about the annual strategic plan. These leadership actions are observable habits shaped by your inner game. It is the inner game that is quietly controlling the outer game. Like a new piece of technology in the workplace, the technologies features or outer game behaviors often get the most attention. Still, the technologies operating system or leader's inner game virtues, character, and values deserve equal attention and focus. Forming good habits and breaking leadership bad habits includes understanding and transforming the inner you. Why Transforming the Inner You Matters? Socrates suggested that "to know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." Several research studies demonstrate the proven benefits of a leader's inner game. Here are a few recent studies: In a seven-year study of 9,000 employees and 84 executive leaders in Fortune 500 and 100 organizations, evidence suggested that leaders with higher character ratings had a return on net assets of nearly five times those rated lower. Evidence from a large-scale empirical study involving 1,207 employees 1,341 customers suggested that the influence of virtues on employee and customer identification, distinctiveness, and satisfaction has a significantly positive correlation with all dimensions. In another study involving 2,000 manufacturing companies, researchers discovered that virtues had a more significant positive impact on organizational performance and quality than management control processes. Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are. –Coach John Wooden. Understanding Your Inner Game Although not frequently discussed in the workplace, a leader's virtues, character, and values are foundational attributes to effective leadership . Aristotle considered virtues a habit or disposition to think, act, or feel in the right way that is not deficient or in excess and toward a good goal. Virtues are a part of an individual's distinctive character that influences personal values. A leader's virtues and character will govern actions when presented with a new or unknown situation, which accounts for most leadership situations. Effective leadership involves a combination of character, competence, and commitment to challenging work. The following figure is a model that depicts the foundational relationship between virtues, character, and values that create habits resulting in a leader's performance. Because virtues, character, and values are often considered complex and ambiguous topics to discuss and measure they are often left out of the discussion when considering leadership development in the workplace. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education. –Martin Luther King, Jr. Like competencies, values, character, and virtues can and should be intentionally developed. Evidence in virtue and character development suggests that an individual's development should include: knowledge transfer reasoning and practice. Steps To Transform the Inner You Striving for better habits is a competitive advantage available to any leader looking for a powerful point of differentiation. Just because you haven't already achieved the leadership success and significance you want doesn't mean you can't now. "Nothing changes without personal transformation." W. E. Deming Character development is primarily developed through role modeling, feedback, practice, and reflection. However, feedback on values, character, and gaps in virtues are not commonly provided in the workplace, given the complexity of these conversations. Additionally, leaders typically spend little to no time reflecting on character experiences because of blind spots. There are likely inner game attributes you find important that others are unaware of and values you demonstrate that other people see, but you don't. Researchers Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham captured this dynamic in their Johari Window model. Using an assessment like the Character Strengths Survey from the VIA Institute is an excellent place to build self-awareness and uncover inner game assumptions and beliefs. The free VIA Character Strength Survey provides insights into 24-character strengths in rank order. Character strengths are values in action or positive traits for thinking, feeling, and behaving that benefit the leader and others. The VIA has been completed by over 15 million people globally, and all of the scales have satisfactory reliability. While knowing where you are is the beginning, it is likely more important to know where you are going. Engaging a dedicated and skillful executive coach is another way you can improve character feedback and purposeful character reflection on your inner game. Executive coaching focuses on moving toward the leader's future, assessing where they are currently, their goals for the future, and exploring and discovering the steps to get to their desired future. The ultimate goal is a change (e.g., behavioral, attitudinal, or motivational). Dedicated mentors can also support character development by openly reflecting on insights gained from experience. The most effective mentoring is mentee-driven and mentor-guided. Mentoring is a dynamically reciprocal, active learning process. A mentor asks questions and shares personal past successes and failures. A coach uses questions but focuses on the leader, not the coach's experience. Conclusion: Transforming the Inner You Modern business executives are running on a metaphorical treadmill every day at work. Time is precious and a scarce resource. Leadership development is one of the best and most important steps a leader can make toward success and significance. Your inner game is primarily developed through role modeling, feedback, and reflection. Both executive coaching and mentoring provide massive benefits. However, this does not mean there isn't the best choice for you, given your situation and unique context. An integrated approach to developing your inner and outer game unlocks the ability to break bad leadership habits and create good ones. What inner transformation do you want to create, and how can you get started? Let's talk about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational solutions that work. References: Anderson, R. & Adams, W. (2016). Mastering leadership: An integrated framework for breakthrough performance and extraordinary business results. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Badaracco, J. (1997). Defining moments: When managers must choose between right and right. Harvard Business School Press. Brickhouse, Thomas C.; Smith, Nicholas D. (1994). Plato's Socrates. Oxford University Press. Chun, R. (2017). Organizational Virtue and performance: An empirical study of customers and employees. Journal of Business Ethics, 146(4), 869-881. Donada, C., Mothe, C., Nogatchewsky, G., & de Campos Ribeiro, G. (2019). The respective effects of virtues and inter-organizational management control systems on relationship quality and performance: Virtues win. Journal of Business Ethics, 154(1), 211-228. Pakaluk, M. (2005). Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: An introduction. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511802041 Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. (2017). A Framework for Character Education in Schools. University of Birmingham. Kiel, F. (2015). Return on character: The real reason leaders and their companies win. Harvard Business Review Press.

The world and workplace are changing fast, and if you're not a little confused, you're not likely paying attention. Many factors are contributing to the confusion, such as globalization and rapid advancements in technology. As a result, investments in continuous employee development are needed to stay relevant and avoid becoming obsolete . Investing in high-performing employee development is a proven strategy to enhance organizational competitiveness. Employee development helps organizations remain competitive by preparing the workforce for continuously shifting demands. Today's leaders are often challenged by both cost and time constraints associated with implementing continuous development strategies. This article presents a few evidence-based, low-cost, high-impact employee development ideas to help leaders address these concerns. Senior Leader Engagement Handing off development to the human resources function without senior leadership involvement puts training at risk. A senior leader's perceived engagement in development impacts the emphasis placed on the participants' learning. Research confirms that when leaders provided dedicated support to training, employee motivation and retention of the learning content improved. Employee Development Methods While managers may want to continuously develop their employees, they often lack the time or budget to make it happen. The following are lower-cost high-impact methods leaders can utilize for continuous development: Coaching: Good leaders will use existing coaching relationships to provide development feedback for their employees. Coaching with a development focus leads to improved morale and overall productivity. Reflection after feedback: Pausing for thought after receiving feedback improves the development investment made. Instead of pausing for reflection after development, companies, and leaders feeling the pressure to move quickly often continue providing more feedback and miss opportunities for individuals to learn and grow. After providing feedback simply try asking a question to create the space for focussed reflection such as, "what are you taking away from....?" Social media and Employee Networks: Integration of social media and networking into ongoing development is an inexpensive means of supporting employee development. Leaders and trainers may choose to be actively involved as group facilitators or they may simply initiate peer-to-peer learning networks. These networks create an inclusive environment allowing people from diverse backgrounds to collaborate toward attaining mastery. Mentoring: Internal company mentoring programs provide low-cost development for both the mentor and the mentee. Mentoring creates a reciprocal and collaborative relationship demonstrated to improve employee performance, sense of value, retention, and internal career progression. A Myth Exposed Unfortunately, some leaders perceive that developed employees are more likely to leave when an opportunity arises. However, research has confirmed that formal job training and job transition training are not connected to increased employee turnover risks. Only when an employee receives development they do not use does it increase the employee turnover risk. Looking ahead, leaders will benefit by recognizing the importance of continuous development and senior leader engagement in employee development investments. Development does not have to be expensive to have a high impact . References: Aslam, M. (2017). Professional development and networking for academic librarians. International Research: Journal of Library and Information Science, 7 (1) Dearstyne, B. W. (2010). Coaching for professional development: Managers should encourage, foster, and support employees' continual development as a way of helping them master changing work and keeping morale high. Especially in an economic environment where resources are limited, coaching and focusing on employees' professional development will help keep them motivated and productive. Information Management Journal, 44 (4), 36. Johansen, B., & Euchner, J. (2013). Navigating the VUCA world. Research-Technology Management, 56 (1), 10-15. doi:10.5437/08956308X5601003 Nelissen, J., Forrier, A., & Verbruggen, M. (2017). Employee development and voluntary turnover: Testing the employability paradox. Human Resource Management Journal, 27 (1), 152-168. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12136 Oh, H., Choi, Y., & Choi, M. (2013). Comparative analysis of OECD member countries’ competitive advantage in national human resource development system. Asia Pacific Education Review, 14 (2), 189-208. doi:10.1007/s12564-013-9255-z Towler, A., Watson, A., & Surface, E. (2014). Signaling the importance of training. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29 (7), 829-849. doi:10.1108/JMP-03-2012-0092 Upcoming Webinar Series We know you are going to love these complementary leadership and professional development events! Organizational Talent Consulting’s webinar content is developed to help leaders meet today's complex workforce and digital challenges. Our free live webinars deliver superior leadership development based on the latest research with no travel costs. Participants interact directly in question-and-answer discussions with subject matter experts and authors on crucial topics to enhance expertise. Webinars are recorded and shared with participants for convenient on-demand access after the live event. Topics include leadership, strategic planning, coaching, change management, and more ( register and learn more ).

Have you ever found yourself in a meeting or, worse yet, leading a meeting where the sound of silence is deafening (forgive the 60's Simon and Garfunkel reference)? Questions are presented, updates are provided, and there is complete silence. Limited to no discussion, no debate, and just the noticeable absence of conversation. The evidence is overwhelming that a lack of thorough team discussion negatively impacts outcomes and organizational effectiveness. If you were researching team silence on a WebMD organizational version, the medical advisory would read: Caution: team silence can be a symptom of a severe organizational health issue and should not be ignored. Seek an intervention immediately. To remain competitive in today's complex and digital marketplace, leaders and teams need to communicate effectively. Diagnosing the Silence There are several potential contributing factors to a lack of communication during team meetings. Team members may be unwilling to engage because of: introversion, self-absorption, self-esteem, feeling distant from others, situational unease, lack of talent, a culture that reinforces behavioral silence norms, or a lack of trust. If the team is new, or the reason for the lack of team communication is not well understood, the use of the willingness to communicate ( WTC ) instrument can reveal helpful insights. McCroskey's WTC instrument assesses an individuals' desire to communicate and provides norms across multiple communication contexts, such as group discussions, meetings, and interpersonal conversations. Understanding the team's willingness to communicate baseline score helps level set communication expectations, understand the severity of the silence, and provide insights for needed intervention. Starting with Trust Although there are several different possible ways to solve a lack of team communication, trust is worth exploring first. According to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer , recent trends indicate that trust is declining across society. Merriam-Webster.com defines trust as "the reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something." Trust takes place between team members, and it has to be earned. Trust is essential for teams to work together effectively, feel safe, and have a sense of belonging. The team leader should lead the trust intervention. The intervention should begin with investigating what, if anything, is potentially causing a loss of trust within the team. Patrick Lencioni's book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is an excellent resource to help leaders assess if trust is absent within the team. In his book, Lencioni also provides many suggestions for improving trust. Team leaders and team members should also measure their trustworthiness. Authors Maister, Green, and Galford, in their book The Trusted Advisor, presented that trustworthiness is made up of four essential attributes: Credibility is the most frequently achieved attribute of trustworthiness. It has rational and emotional aspects related to an individual's content expertise and personal presence. Reliability is based on the frequency of interactions with someone and the consistency for them to behave as expected. Intimacy requires being personal and the willingness to have a courageous conversation. This is one of the key differentiating attributes of trustworthiness. Self-orientation relates to the amount of focus placed on oneself versus the emphasis placed on the other person. A High degree of self-orientation creates significant distrust with others. Assigning ratings to each of these attributes and using a trust equation (see Figure 1) allows you to measure your trustworthiness. Improving team trust provides many personal and organizational benefits, such as increasing the exchange of information in team meetings resulting in improved quality, time, and project cost. If you have questions on getting started with individual and organizational development we would like to help ( contact us ) . References: Cheung, S. O., Yiu, T. W., & Lam, M. C. (2013). Interweaving trust and communication with project performance. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 139 (8), 941-950. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000681 Johnson, C. E., & Hackman, M. Z. (2018). Leadership: A communication perspective (6th ed.). Long Grove, Ill: Waveland Press. Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable . Jossey-Bass. Maister, D. H., Green, C. H., & Galford, R. M. (2000). The trusted advisor . New York: Free Press. McCroskey, J. C. (1992). Reliability and validity of the willingness to communicate scale. Communication Quarterly, 40 (1), 16-25. doi:10.1080/01463379209369817 Schein, E. H. (1996). Culture: The missing concept in organization studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41 (2), 229-240. doi:10.2307/2393715 Jeff Doolittle, MBA has extensive knowledge and expertise in leadership development, talent management, and coaching to grow individuals and organizations. Jeff has experience from start-ups to Fortune 50 public, Forbes 25 private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations across diverse industries. Jeff Doolittle is the founder of Organizational Talent Consulting in Grand Rapids, MI. He can be reached at info@organizationaltalent.com or by calling (616) 803-9020. Visit his blog for more ideas to stimulate individual, team, and organizational effectiveness.

An executive coaching relationship should no longer be viewed as an optional relationship for senior leaders. Back in 2005, Thomas Friedman wrote a book on how the world is flat. Today, the pressures of globalization for executives are immense. We have seen the COVID-19 pandemic create challenges for leaders that no one has ever faced. Helping executives to stay focused on personal development, so it does not get lost in the tsunami of urgent details and day-to-day activities, is an essential benefit of executive coaching. The essence of the power and effectiveness of executive coaching lies in the coach-leader relationship. This robust relationship fosters a leader’s growth through purposeful direction, reflection, feedback, and accountability. Today’s reality for a senior leader is that the marketplace is changing rapidly, and you are either ripe and rotting or green and growing. So, how is an executive to effectively stay green and growing in such a fast-paced environment? Modern peer-reviewed qualitative and quantitative research supports the effectiveness of the executive coach -leader relationship. In an extensive quantitative study by Stanley Black & Decker, the Sasha Corporation found that executives who received coaching achieved 15% higher goal performance than those who did not. Also, some of the most admired companies in the Fortune 100 contribute to the $1 billion executive coaching industry. The coaching sector is the second-fastest-growing sector in the world at a 6.7% average yearly growth rate projected through 2022, according to marketresearch.com. The broad support for executive coaching and the effectiveness is undeniable. DIRECTION & REFLECTION Without an executive coach, a leader can lack perspective and miss the benefit of assistance with setting direction. Any road will get you where you want to go if you don’t know where you are going. Setting direction is vital to growth as a leader. Executive coaching starts with an assessment and setting direction. A coach ensures development goals are purposeful and brings perspective to the best focus area. Also, guided reflection is another critical benefit. Often leaders pressed for time move from one urgent task to another and miss the advantage of pausing to reflect. The executive coach partners with the leader to ask questions that explore learning and maximize the value of the coaching. Peer-review research on the topic of reflection has found slowing down and providing time for intentional reflection improves an individual’s performance. FEEDBACK & ACCOUNTABILITY The reality is that leaders are busy, and without accountability, miss the opportunities for learning and growth. In the executive coaching relationship, external accountability is a crucial benefit. Typically, toward the end of the current year and the beginning of the new year, we all start thinking about self-development and annual goals. Then all too soon after, a week passes, work happens and we barely remember the goal. A coach can prioritize topics most critical to advancing executive development. Executive leaders receive feedback continuously from a wide range of sources on potential areas of development, but also can struggle to make sense of the feedback. Proximity to a problem sometimes impacts the leader’s clarity on importance. Also, general feedback often is not presented in effective or constructive ways. During a recent press briefing, President Donald Trump lit into a reporter for a line of questioning and stated he was a terrible reporter. The non-verbal response of the reporter indicated he was crushed and felt attacked. The reporter received feedback, but it was not specific or constructive. Having a coach can help executives take input from different groups of people that may be emotional to the leader. A coach also can assist the leader with filtering through various points of feedback to return focus on the essential constructive aspects. Now more than ever, due to the complexity placed on senior leadership roles, executives need coaches that can support their continuous development. Falling behind in a rapidly changing marketplace will not lead to success. The coach-leader relationship is an essential tool to foster a leader’s growth through purposeful direction, reflection, feedback, and accountability.

Eating that leftover jelly-filled donut or stopping at Taco Bell for a fourth meal on your way home from a long day at work will have consequences. Sometimes we are aware of how our bad habits impact us because we experience the immediate effect. Other times we have no idea of how our habits are negatively impacting ourselves and others. A habit is a practice or tendency that is hard to give up. We acquire habits through learning based on consequence reinforcement that can be considered either good or bad. Leadership bad habits can sometimes be rewarding, as the taste of a jelly-filled donut, or harmful as weight gained from eating too many donuts. The consequences of bad leadership habits vary and range from minor uncomfortable situations to those with organizational survival impacts. In leadership and life, it is easy to fall into bad habits. One helpful approach to breaking any bad habit is identifying the habit and replacing it with a new healthy habit. The following are my top seven leadership bad habits and some ideas for breaking them. Leadership Bad Habit # 1. Using positional power. It is easy to fall into the trap that the only way to gain influence is to leverage positional power. I am the boss, so do as I say. Positional power is not always negative, but it can do great harm to any relationship if abused. Although positional power can prompt immediate action, it reduces others' motivation to give more than what is expected. When abused, it can lead to retaliation and the mindset of "when the cat is away; the mice will play." The result is that you may have people only doing what you direct when you are around. Abusing positional power prevents the realization of the full potential of what can be from motivating others to do more than what is expected. Breaking the habit: Adopt a servant leadership style . Research has shown that a servant leadership style improves workplace productivity, performance, and organizational results and increases discretionary effort. Start using positive reinforcement. Find followers making an approximation of the behaviors you want more of and reinforce them for those behaviors. Leadership Bad Habit # 2. Attention deficit. Fostering innovation within an organization is an increasingly important leadership behavior. Identifying worthy ideas requires seeing new patterns in the data. However, in today's fast-paced digital workplace, staying focused can be very challenging as leaders rush from meeting to meeting. Avoiding distractions and focusing is essential to identifying new patterns. Breaking the habit: Keep a journal of problems that you find and ideas that you have. Using a journal helps you manage the negative impacts of rushing and role overload. Reflecting on the issues and innovative ideas written in the journal at a later time helps you recognize patterns and avoid cognitive errors caused by recency bias. Leadership Bad Habit # 3. Do as I say, not as I do. Leadership is about influence. As a leader, you set expectations for the organization. Your actions speak louder than your words. When actions do not match what is said, it damages trust. Integrity moderates the degree of confidence in a relationship—the less honesty in the relationship, the less trust. No one wants to follow a leader that is not willing to follow their own advice. Breaking the habit: No radical advice on this one. Ask others to help you become aware of situations where you do not live up to what you ask of others. Leadership Bad Habit # 4. Sending an email instead of talking. Written communication is not a substitute for speaking directly with someone. It probably goes without needing scientific research to understand that face-to-face communication is the most effective communication form. Sending emails and texts can be deceptive because you feel like you are communicating; however, a message sent does not mean a message received. When you send an email in place of a face-to-face conversation, you minimize your influence potential and, ultimately, the relationship. Breaking the habit: Prioritize meetings with those you lead. Establish a regular meeting schedule to make space for time to talk face-to-face. If you are unsure where to begin or question if it is possible, I recommend reading about the model presented by Patrick Lencioni in Death by Meeting . Leadership Bad Habit # 5. Employee training as "the" solution. Not all issues involving employees require training. Unfortunately, many leaders hold an assumption that any productivity or behavioral problem can be solved with training. It is often perceived as a relatively quick and cheap, easy way to show visible action and document resolution to a problem. Training is a practical solution for knowledge and skills needs. However, training is often not the only or best solution. You can improve employee productivity, job satisfaction, and overall performance by not using training as a blanket solution to every workplace problem. Breaking the habit: Before recommending training, conduct a root cause analysis to understand all the potential contributing factors. Talk with employees to find out what would help them most. Gilbert's behavior engineering model provides an excellent framework for investigating potential causes. Leadership Bad Habit # 6. Keeping secret the company strategy. Strategic planning involves strategic thinking, acting, and influencing. Unfortunately, current research reveals that 95% of employees are unaware of or do not understand their organization's strategy. The difference between a realized strategy and a created strategy puts the organization at risk. Also, assuming you have all the answers puts your organization's survival at risk. Breaking the habit: Involve others and practice empathy, energy, humility, and strategic foresight . Listen to employees to understand their needs, motivations, and concerns that any strategy can produce. This will lead to better strategic thinking, acting, and influence. Leadership Bad Habit # 7. Nearsighted business focus. Focusing on the near team is easy and immediately rewarding. However, an organization focused only on the immediate is gambling with their future. One of the most significant downfalls of strategic planning is the failure to consider future changes. No one would argue that that the modern workplace is predictable. However, organizations desperately need leaders to adopt an approach to strategic planning that can account for the volatility, uncertainty, and complexity in the marketplace. Breaking the habit: Introduce scenario planning as a decision-making tool to explore and understand the variety of potential issues impacting the organization. Teach employees strategic foresight skills such as the futures wheel . Leadership Bad Habit or Addiction? Bad habits can lead to addictions and can be difficult to break. How is it that we can know something is bad for us and still do it? We know eating that jelly-filled donut is likely not a good idea when we are trying to lose weight. We know telling our followers to do something we are not willing to do is not a good idea. So why do we keep doing it? And how do we stop? Wanting to change is a good start, and learning new skills is a good idea. Anyone who has tried to exercise more, lose weight, or permanently change any long-standing habit knows it can be hard. Likely no one book, training event, or coaching session will produce lasting behavior change. That does not mean these are not helpful or important ; it just means they need to be incorporated into a systemic change process. If you are interested in getting help to make a change, we would love to help. References: Abraham, S. (2005). Stretching strategic thinking. Strategy & Leadership, 33 (5), 5-12. Chermack, T. (2011). Scenario planning in organizations: How to create, use, and assess scenarios. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Greenleaf, R. K., & Spears, L. C. (2002). Servant-leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness (25th-anniversary ed.) . Paulist Press. Hernez-Broome, G., Boyce, L. A., & Ely, K. (2009). The coaching relationship: A glimpse into the black box of coaching. In L. A. Boyce & G. Hernez-Broome (Chair), The client-coach relationship: Examining a critical component of successful coaching. Symposium conducted at the 24th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA. Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. M., & Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success . John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Patterson, K. (2003, October 16). Servant-leadership: A theoretical model [PDF]. Regent University School of Leadership Studies Servant-leadership Research Roundtable.

Most executives want more out of life and work, and businesses want to grow. The pressures of increasing uncertainty and a fast-paced digital workplace are intense, and leaders face many new challenges. If leaders and teams are not striving to improve, they are falling behind. So, how can leaders and businesses avoid wasting time chasing ideas that don't move the needle in a turbulent environment? Some of the most admired companies in the Fortune 500 are turning to executive coaching. It's a high-value business investment. Evidence suggests coaching significantly increases goal leadership and business performance. However, executive coaching may not be familiar to you. This article provides insights into what it is and is not, evidence-based benefits, the coaching process, and much more. What is the ROI of Executive Coaching? If you ask five different people to define coaching, you will likely get five different definitions. Coaching is a thought-provoking partnership focused on achieving a client's goal. It is a creative process that starts with clarifying the goal and the gap between where they are today and their desired future. It provokes the client to explore and experiment to maximize their personal and professional potential. The ultimate goal of executive coaching is a positive transformation in life and leadership for the client (e.g., behavioral, attitudinal, or motivational). The coach-client relationship is grounded in trust, transparency, and confidentiality. While the coach and client are the primary stakeholders, the executive's sponsoring organization is often an additional formal or informal stakeholder. The benefits of investing in executive coaching are well documented. According to the International Coaching Federation, 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence. Over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. 86% of companies report recouping their investment in coaching and more. ​ Executive Benefits: Establish and take action toward achieving both career and life goals Become more confident Gain more personal satisfaction Contribute more effectively to the team and the organization Take greater responsibility and accountability for actions and commitments Work more efficiently and productively with others (leaders, followers, peers, customers) Communicate more effectively Reduced stress Business Benefits: Empowers employees Increases engagement Improves performance Improves employee retention Supports identification and development of high-potential employees Supports identification of both organizational and individual strengths and development opportunities Shows organizational commitment to employee development What Executive Coaching is Not Executive coaching is not counseling or mentoring. Counseling deals with past or current trauma, mental health, and symptoms to restore emotional wellness. Executive coaching focuses on the future and not the client's past. Unlike a coach, a mentor sets the agenda for their client using their experiences to guide the relationship. While that approach can be helpful in reality, we are all created with different strengths and backgrounds. A coach draws out the executive's desires and works to co-create options to achieve the executive's goals with personal and professional benefits. In addition to executive coaching, there are several other popular targeted c oaching services: Career Coaching is focused on accelerating your career. Most of us go through day-to-day life, giving more thought to what we wear each day than our jobs. The coaching focuses on developing and implementing a plan of action to boost your career. Career coaching keeps you feeling challenged versus being worried about what's next. Additionally, a coach increases your blind spot awareness. We all have blind spots. A good career coach helps you avoid jeopardizing current and future potential career opportunities because of blind spots. Emotional Intelligence Coaching focuses on helping you become more self-aware and effective in relationships. This type of coaching typically involves temperament and personality profiles to pinpoint where development should be focused. Leadership Coaching helps you grow your confidence and competence regardless of whether you are an emerging leader, frontline leader, mid-level manager, executive, or business owner. Typically leadership coaching includes using a 360-degree assessment to improve feedback and awareness for the client. In my work with CEOs, executive teams, and boards in Grand Rapids and across West Michigan, executive coaching is rarely about fixing poor performance. More often, it’s about helping capable leaders navigate growth, increasing complexity, succession decisions, and the unintended consequences that emerge as organizations scale. Who typically hires an executive coach? Individual executives and organizations hire executive coaches to achieve their goals. Sometimes, the executive is in transition, facing new challenges, or making a career pivot. Hiring an executive coach is a good fit for any executive who wants to get more out of life and work, accelerate their career, or shift their mindset. Here are a few scenarios from recent executives who hired me to be their coach: A newly appointed CEO replacing the founder of a rapidly growing mid-sized business A CEO for a mid-sized nonprofit facing increasing regulatory pressures and wanting to get more out of life and work A tenured regional VP making a career pivot A director within a large business wanting to navigate change and work effectively with a new leader It is typically not a good idea to hire an executive coach if: The executive does not want the coaching—the lower the executive's motivation, the lower the investment's return. The executive needs a consultant or a mentor to solve a problem or share their experience. The executive is not doing their job, and the organization is looking to outsource the executive's manager role. What is the Typical Executive Coaching Process? Current evidence-based research supports various psychological approaches to executive coaching, such as cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, strength-based, and GROW. While each approach is similar, the GROW model is very popular. Given that executive coaching's ultimate goal is change within the executive, the process centers on using essential questions and client-centered critical thinking to invoke the executive's self-awareness and personal responsibility. The GROW model represents a journey that begins with clarifying the goal, which is both inspiring and challenging to the executive. Then, the following step involves exploring the current reality and considering barriers between the current state and the desired future. The next step involves exploring options based on the principle that imagination creates breakthroughs. The final step is clarifying the executive's will and the way forward. It involves defining specific timebound actions with the commitment, accountability, and reporting to lead to transformation. The client ultimately chooses the decisions to make and steps to take to meet their goals. A typical coaching program includes four fundamental steps over 12 months: Step #1: Alignment to build rapport and understand the context for coaching and the outcomes. Step #2: Assessment to provide insight into strengths and opportunities for your development. Step #3: Coaching to move toward your future, assess where you are currently and where you would like to be, remove obstacles, and explore and discover the steps to achieve your desired future. Step #4: Measurement to establish clear goals, measure progress, and celebrate successes. Is virtual executive coaching effective? While in-person communication is proven to be most effective, a skilled coach can effectively utilize virtual technologies such as Zoom to achieve lasting results. Thoughtfully incorporating virtual coaching has many benefits: Accessibility is likely one of the most significant benefits associated with virtual coaching. Technology enables the coach and client to connect in different places within the same building or worldwide. Availability improves, enabling the coach to be brought into just-in-time and rapid response needs or unique situations like cross-cultural needs. Also, the coach and client benefit from the flexibility and administrative ease in scheduling. Affordability improves through reduced travel and associated costs. Access to resources improves through digital access to tools supporting goal setting, coaching preparation, and progress tracking. Coaching evaluation improves through the ease of tracking commitments, satisfaction, strengths, opportunities, and trends both on an individual client level and at an aggregate organizational level. Take this free Virtual Coaching Fit Checker quiz to help you determine if virtual coaching is a good fit. What makes an excellent executive coach? An excellent executive coach is experienced, trained, and qualified. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is a globally recognized association with evidence-based competency and code of ethics certification requirements. The ICF identified the following eight essential core competencies of a coach based on research collected over two years of job analyses from 1,300 coaches globally: Demonstrates Ethical Practice Embodies a Coaching Mindset Establishes and Maintains Agreements Cultivates Trust and Safety Maintains Presence Listens Actively Evokes Awareness Facilitates Client Growth Additionally, an excellent coach usually refrains from giving advice or sharing their personal stories. Instead, the coach asks powerful questions to help the executive clarify their problems in achieving their goals. Also, evidence suggests that a coach's academic background in psychology enhances executive coaching outcomes such as the client's self-awareness and leadership performance. References: Athanasopoulou, A., & Dopson, S. (2018). A systematic review of executive coaching outcomes: Is it the journey or the destination that matters most? The Leadership Quarterly. 29 (1), 70-88. Berglas, S. (2002). The very real dangers of executive coaching. Harvard Business Review, 80 (6), 86-153. Bluckert, P. (2005). Critical factors in executive coaching - the coaching relationship. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37 (7), 336-340. Dean, M., & Meyer, A. (2002). Executive coaching: In search of a model. Journal of Leadership Education, 1 (2). Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose . Organizational Talent Consulting. Goldsmith, M., Lyons, L., & McArthur, S. (2012). Coaching for leadership: Writings on leadership from the world's greatest coaches 3rd Edition . Pfeiffer. Kampa-Kokesch, S., & Anderson, M. (2001). Executive coaching: A comprehensive review of the literature. Consulting Psychology Journal, 53 (4), 205-228. Kimsey-House, K., Kimsey-House, H., Sandhal, P., & Whitworth, L., (2018). Co-active coaching: The proven framework for transformative conversations at work and in life. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Lai, Y., & Palmer, S. (2019). Psychology in executive coaching: An integrated literature review. Journal of Work Applied Management, 11 (2), 143-164. Thach, E. (2002). The impact of executive coaching and 360 feedback on leadership effectiveness . Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 23 (4), 205-214.